“There has been an awakening, have you felt it?” – Supreme Leader Snoke
Yes, indeed we have. While Star Wars and Gardening are not necessarily tied together I felt that this quote is so appropriate for describing the spring garden. It is an awakening. The warmer weather and longer days combine to encourage plants to come alive again from dormancy. It’s time for the daffodils to shine, the hyacinths to fill the air with their heady fragrance, and life to once again return to the garden.
Spring is my favorite time for gardening. The transition from winter to spring provides the most pleasant weather for working and playing outdoors. It’s a great time for mulching, tilling, pruning, cleaning, and doing everything you to can outdoors!
If you haven’t already it’s time to start your seeds. Seed starting indoors is a great way to save money in the garden for the year. It’s a heck of a lot of fun too! The sheer number of plant varieties you can plant from seed can be overwhelming but exciting at the same time. If you’re a gardener you know what I mean.
It’s also time to get those weeds out of the garden and keep them out. Weed your garden then mulch it to prevent new growth from seeds in the soil. If they can’t get the light you can prevent them from germinating.
Your mowers may need your help too. They’ve been cooped up all winter in your garage, shed, or storage building. Get them serviced, cleaned, sharpened, or replaced so you can gave a trouble free garden season in 2016. Sharp blades on a mower are important for a clean cut grass that doesn’t brown on the ends.
Of course its also time to get that vegetable garden started! Seeds are packed with potential so get those cool season vegetables outdoors now. Lettuce, kale, chard, radishes, beets, and other frost tolerant plants are ideal for the early spring garden!
This is the start of everything. There has been an awakening, and it’s the spring garden!
(While technically the calendar still says its winter here in Tennessee the weather is in the upper 60’s and lower 70’s this week. It’s essentially spring in Tennessee!)